Matter of degrees

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MIAMI Dwyane Wade scurried to each quadrant of the court, reached up, pleaded for pregame noise.

The score was 0-0.

It was right before the opening tip Sunday night, against the warmed-over Washington Wizards.

It seemed odd that Wade actually expected some animation from the quiet Miami fans and the empty seats that separated them, and, in reality, he wasn't. He was trying to activate his own team's bloodstream.

The Heat hit its first five shots, slipped into cruise control, found itself leading by only seven midway through the fourth quarter, and then clicked off the final 21 points of the game.

The 99-71 victory improved Miami's record to 23-10, but the crucial number was 49. That's the games remaining until the playoffs.

From 1969-1988, there were no back-to-back NBA champions. The Heat lost the final game in 2011, won the final game in 2012, and is the logical favorite to play the final game again.

But as Miami trudges through the rubble of the East, the thrill is often gone.

They are only 9-8 against teams with winning records, and one of those was the AWOL Game, in which Gregg Popovich sent his three best Spurs home.

Miami barely won that, then lost at Detroit, and on Friday lost at home to Chicago and gave up 19 offensive rebounds.

If not a wakeup call, that was at least a loud knock.

Coach Erik Spoelstra lit up the video machine and showed the Heat “every single one” of those offensive boards at Saturday's practice.

“Effort is a talent,” Spoelstra said. “Hustle is a talent. Those second and third efforts, those in-traffic rebounds, that's a skill.”

The Heat is 21st in rebounding margin for the season, and LeBron James is the leading rebounder with 8.3. Chris Bosh, the de facto center, has 7.6, but rebounded only 13 times in a three-game stretch. He recovered with nine against Washington.

Spoelstra, apparently without sarcasm, complimented Bosh for “the way he was jumping” to grab missed shots.

“You'd have to ask him what he means,” Bosh said. “I'm more of a go-get-the-ball kind of guy. There's a lot of technique involved. When I get caught up in that, somebody usually gets the ball.

“I take constructive criticism, sure. But I'm counting my rebounds now, so everybody will get off my back. It was nine today, so I'll get nine next game. Maybe even 10.”

The Heat leads the NBA in field-goal percentage, is second in 3-point percentage and is ninth in field-goal defense. It should be deeper in May and June then before, having signed Ray Allen. Remember, Mike Miller was the pivotal figure in Game 5 of The Finals, the clincher, and he contributed 13 uncharacteristic points Sunday.

Also remember that champions like challenges. The Heat has played 19 of its 32 games at home. Tuesday's game at Indiana launched a six-game trip that culminates in Lakerland on Jan. 17.

“Having the target on your chest — we've earned that right, that honor,” Spoelstra said. “If we treat it the right way, it will toughen us. Our motivation clearly has to be different than last year.”

Wade was the 2006 Finals MVP and Udonis Haslem was the dirty-work power forward, then as now. The next year, Wade and Shaquille O'Neal were together for only eight games, and by the time they got healthy they couldn't avoid a four-game, first-round sweep by Chicago.

Allen was part of the champion Celtics of '08. The next year they started 27-2, but wound up losing Game 7 of the East semifinals at home, to Orlando.

“There's a bit of urgency that you can't lose,” Allen said. “Last year they had that ‘chase juice.' You wanted it, you were chasing someone else for it. Now, other teams have it, because we're the ones being chased and hunted.

“You have to generate it yourself every night. You know that opposing locker room is getting its best speech of the year, when they play us.”

Speeches are fine, but they tend to stop when the coach describes how to stop No. 6.

James shoots 54.5 percent from the floor, ninth in the NBA and tops among those who have taken 400 shots. He averages 26.5 points, and in all 32 games he has scored 20 or more, endangering George Gervin's all-time streak of 45 to begin a season.

Last spring James became the eighth Triple MVP and Boston coach Doc Rivers said, “The years he doesn't win it, it'll be just because people are tired of voting for him.”

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